This year was decent. I’m grateful. On a personal level, I’ve had some ups and downs, but overall, it has been a good year. I’ve taken steps to heal and try new things as well.

On a national level, I’ve tried to stay away from watching the news because it is literally a 24/7 cycle of bad story after bad story with only a small amount of joy mixed in. I deleted Twitter a few months ago, and I’m proud of myself for that. I still use Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit, but not as often.

In entertainment, the only current TV show I watched was Abbott Elementary. Hollywood writers and actors ended up going on a several month’s long strike and that halted everything for a bit. They just ended the strike in November, right before Thanksgiving week. I went to the movies this year and I saw 4 films: The Little Mermaid, Spiderman Across the Spider verse, Barbie, and The Color Purple Broadway adaption. I bought a lot of DVDs this year because stores are deciding to stop selling them at the end of this year.

I tried to get through some Coursera classes this year, because I’ve been thinking about a job change. I got through one of the shorter classes, but I didn’t finish the longer classes. The class I finished on Coursera was called Growth Mindset. It was free. I also did an introductory cybersecurity class through ISC2. I think it was called Certified in Cybersecurity. I enjoyed that class. I want to get out of my current industry, but I don’t really know where I want to go. I’m hoping to gain more clarity regarding my next move in the coming year.

I’m grateful to have made it to the end of yet another year. I hope all is well with everyone and happy new years to you all.